In the heart of the jungle, where the trees stood tall and green like living towers, lived a curious little monkey named Tiko. He wasn’t the strongest, or the loudest, or the fastest — but he was definitely the smartest.
While other monkeys swung from branch to branch or picked fruit for fun, Tiko liked puzzles. He watched. He thought. And today, he was watching something that had completely stumped him: a walnut.
The round, brown nut sat in front of him, looking innocent enough. But Tiko knew better. He’d tried biting it — ouch. Didn’t work. He tried throwing it from a tree — just bounced. He even tried smashing it between two branches — no luck.
He plopped down next to the stubborn nut with a sigh. “How do you work, huh?” he muttered.
Then he noticed something nearby — a rock. Not just any rock, but a flat, heavy one with a sharp edge.
Tiko’s eyes lit up.
He grabbed the walnut and held it next to the rock. “Okay, let’s try something new.”
He placed the walnut on top of the rock, stepped back, then looked around. A small crowd had gathered — a few other monkeys, some parrots, even a curious toucan. They tilted their heads, watching.
“What’s he doing with a rock?” someone whispered.
Tiko picked up a second rock, smaller and rounder, and held it in both hands. He lined up the walnut, raised the rock high over his head, and WHACK!
Missed.
The walnut rolled off. A few monkeys snickered.
Tiko grunted and placed it back, more carefully this time. He took a breath. WHACK!
Still nothing. But now there was a dent.
One of the parrots leaned in. “I think he’s actually getting somewhere!”
On the third try, Tiko narrowed his eyes, raised the rock slowly, took aim — and CRACK!
The shell split open perfectly down the middle, revealing the rich, golden meat inside.
Gasps echoed through the jungle clearing.
Tiko stared for a moment. Then he grinned. “I did it.”
The other monkeys rushed in, cheering and chattering.
“Tiko’s a genius!”
“That rock trick really worked!”
“He cracked it like a nutcracker!”
But Tiko wasn’t listening. He was holding the walnut like it was treasure, carefully scooping out the soft center and tasting it. Sweet, crunchy, perfect.
Then he looked at the rock, the walnut halves, and his eager audience.
“If I can crack one…” he said with a smile, “I can teach the troop how to do it too.”
And from that day forward, the monkeys of the jungle learned something new: strength is good, speed is fun — but smarts? Smarts can get you lunch.
